Maamla Legal Hai (Season 2)
Introduction
Like the first season, the second season of Maamla Legal Hai has the soul of a breezy sit-com with respect to the relatability of the characters and the setting. It is interesting on how the inbuilt satirical nature of the drama cuts through most of the high-voltage moments that you would associate in a courtroom. It is kind of a light-hearted everyday tragedy that we are given a glimpse into – almost like a collection of trivial elements that formulate the larger dysfunctioning of a system that doesn’t always look to resolve a problem, but instead build on it. In an instance, you spot a character being nearly electrocuted at the entrance of the court – only for the complaint to be passed from the electricity board to the Municipal Corporation and back to the court premises. In the next instance, you see a character frequently traversing a flight of stairs with the same fire extinguisher just in time to fulfill a audit requirement of having a fire extinguisher on every floor. It is this everyday satire amidst the chaos that makes the drama relatable here – almost making us shake our heads in laughter.
Story & Screenplay
Written by Kunal Aneja, Sameer Saxena, Mohak Aneja, Mukund Narayan and Syed Shadan and mostly linked to newspaper headlines stemming out of actual cases, the second season of Mamla Legal Hai plays out like a satire right from the start when you are reintroduced to VD Tyagi (Ravi Kishan) – a character who has successfully transitioned from a district lawyer to a district judge. The satire however is in his oath taking speech wherein an unintended ‘cough’ changes the entire meaning of the oath. But you just get the vibe of Tyagi through his idealist character arc – he wants to make a difference with respect to the power that he has acquired. But within the court premises of Patparganj, even power comes at a cost – even as he is discouraged from passing pleasantaries to his lawyers which would be deemed as ‘favours’. Hence, the hierarchies between positions automatically are in play with respect to Tyagi and some of the other charcters in play!
Elsewhere, you are also acquainted with fellow lawyers Sujata (Nidhi Bisht) and Mintu (Anjum Batra) – two characters who are at loggerheads with each other over a nameplate that would decide the power dynamic of the foyer. And to give them company are Law (Amit Vikram Pandey) and Order (Vikram Pratap) – the Amar-Prem of the foyer who decide to individually side with each of the two competing characters. You also have Ananya aka Ani (Naila Grrewal) with her South Delhi accent that makes her the torchbearer of measured wokeness in the court premises even whilst striving hard to win her first case. And then there is Vishwas (Anant V Joshi) who is known to handle the managerial side of the court premises while silently waging a personal battle of detachment between love and friendship. Yes, the characters are colourful and often goofy with the satire in play.
The proceedings aren’t only restricted within a courtroom, almost borrowing the format of the show The Trial (2025) with respect to its one-episode long cases on display. But the chief differentiating factor remains on how it wishes to keep things light and frothy even whilst addressing some rather pivotal issues along the way. In one, you witness an investigation around the possibility of rodents wiping off bags of drugs in a hilarious little passage. In another, you witness a task of reviewing a series of short promotional films being interrupted by pen fights by judges, just to kill time. In another, you witness a gap in the laws for the two genders, even as the cops refuse to file an FIR of assault on a female character despite a documented visual of her harassing a male one. Or even a case involving a compensation for a character having burnt his underarms that invariably (and hilariously) opens a can of worms.
That said, this format does come with its set of limitations too wherein not all the cases or subplots get a proper screentime or a closure. For instance, a property dispute between two parties felt half-baked despite an additional layer of identity with respect to one of the characters. In another, the idea of a character’s willfulness to donate her kidney to another character sandwiched between a discussion on classism doesn’t fully realise its potential impact. Even a case involving a simple divorce wherein the character of the wife is tired of her nagging mother-in-law, felt abrupt with its conclusion. And an abandoned love angle that never met with a closure between the regular characters.
But there is an inherent sense of sweetness in the drama that made me believe that the writing had its heart in the right place. For instance, the wonderfully etched arcs of Sujata and Mintu – the former transitioning from a competitor to an online troll to someone who develops an affinity for the latter who is as sweet, innocent and affable as ever. The subtext of working as a team is a life lesson for many of us, while trying to aim for a win-win situation for everyone involved.
The arc of Tyagi also is more of an emotional one wherein he fully realises the presence of a pressure that invariably comes with a bag of responsibilities. And you see him wilting at the end in a lead up to a potentially harsh judgment that he needed to pass. That little passage made this legal drama heartfelt in many ways – even as an evident attempt was made at course correcting the narrative to reinstate the magical dynamic between characters. The screenplay here is well penned, much like its previous season.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues are sharp and witty while intricately generating some genuine bouts of laughter along the way. The lines also add to the authenticity of the area in which the drama is set in. The BGM is pretty good and blends well with the tone of the drama although I did feel that the sound design was marginally overused, almost prompting the viewers to react in a certain way. The cinematography captures frames that genuinely paint a grim picture of reality while also constituting an emotional connect with its character. I candidly found myself invested in the journeys of most characters, even as the frames kept me engaged with the broader satire in play too. The production design deserves a round of applause too given how t<span;>he ambience felt natural with regards to its setting.<span;> The costume department deserves a shoutout too for accurately designing the attire of characters based on their personalities.
The editing is crisp and sharp while allowing the drama to be consistently snackable. Director Rahul Pandey does a tremendous job with the world building that does paint a grim picture of reality, whilst introducing some colourful characters that cut through the seriousness of the drama and adding ample doses of laughter. While a few subplots don’t have the desired impact, the direction remains sound – often maintaining a sense of urgency with the humour and the satire in play. The direction is pretty good here.
Performances
The performances are incredibly good by the ensemble cast. I thoroughly enjoyed the pearls of wisdom imparted by Vijay Rajoria who essays the role of Munshi ji. Brijendra Kala as PP Sahab is incredibly good while delivering a well measured yet heartfelt performance on the show. Vijayant Kohli as Judge Sunil is hilarious and I absolutely cracked up in the scene involving an ongoing pen-fight, or even a random moment when a bucket of water (from a seepage from the ceiling) falls on his head. Tanvi Azmi as Judge Bainsla delivers a dignified performances despite a limited screentime. Bishwanath Bhattacharya as Judge Ghosh is incredibly good here, while being sharp with his impeccable sense of humour.
There are effective extended cameos from Prasanna Bisht as Sonam in a character that ‘partially’ seemed like a variant of her character from Chiraiya minus the marital r*pe angle. And she makes her presence felt. Arnav Bhasin as Nihal is subdued and that works in favour of his character. Gautam Rode as Danish, Kamna Pathak as Pramila, Anand Tiwari as Sachin, Poonam Mathur as Sharma aunty, and Snehalata Siddharth as Bimla make their presence felt.
Sudhir Sangwan as Pepsu does manage to tickle your funny bone. Dinesh Lal Yadav aka Nirahua as Banaspathi has a natural flair for comedy, and I found myself cracking up everytime he appeared onscreen. Kusha Kapila as Nayana plays the perfect nemesis to Ani, and she holds her own with a solid screen presence. Dibyendu Bhattacharya as Judge Shubhkela remained such an interesting character filled with wisdom until a twisted fate that changed the complexion of the drama. And he is excellent to witness here. R Badree as Bipin Topo is sincere and earnest while putting forth a commendable act.
Pooja Shyam Prabhat as Varsha manages to impress despite a limited screen time and she is such a delight to witness here. Kumaar Saurabh is an incredible actor with tremendous range and here he is brilliant with his effortless comedy as Shambhoo. His sense of comedy is natural to the core. Amit Vikram Pandey and Vikram Pratap as Law and Order respectively are hilarious as much with their antics as with their names. They almost play minions with a purpose – and each of them are affable to the core. Amit has a genuine affectionate quality in him as a performer, often mixing it with right doses of innocence to make for a rather affable act filled with goofiness (in a good way). Vikram on the other hand models his character on earnestness and wit that separates him from the goofy act of Amit. And he remained a delight to witness too.
Anjum Batra is such a tremendous actor ever since I first saw him in the film 83. And I am the happiest seeing him in such a meaty role as Mintu wherein he absolutely smashes it with his impeccable comic timing. There is also a strand of innocence that makes you empathize with his character, one with respect to the evolving matters of the courtroom, and two with respect to his personal life that indeed makes him really affable to witness.
Anant Joshi as Vishwas oozes of a ticklish effervescence with his comedic timing, which coupled with a charming presence onscreen makes for a wonderful little impact. Nidhi Bisht is such a fine actor and she absolutely nails her performance as Sujata. Her character has a comic exterior but a little heartfelt space within that often pops up every now and then. And this balance of emotions was wonderfully executed by her in an arc that she absolutely owns. Naila Grrewal as Ani does a stellar job here. She was clearly the odd one out from a characterization standpoint (her South Delhi accent was spot on), and she highlights her vulnerabilities through subtle bouts of humour in a brilliantly portrayed act.
Ravi Kishan is an absolute legend when it comes to acting. Even though his character is slightly underwritten, you witness him deliver a polished and an understated performance without compromising on the humour of his character. His arc that ranges from an awkward idealist to a heartwrenching humanitarian, was crucial to the core of the drama. And he effortlessly moulds himself in a well measured act that makes for a brilliant watch.
Conclusion
Boasting of solid performances, the second season of Maamla Legal Hai is a hilarious satire packaged in a heartfelt legal drama that makes for a wonderful watch. Available on Netflix.